Family Portrait
by emergency-heart
Summary: Luc and Eddi are beginning to get things back on track after Luc's return to Holby, but life is never simple, especially when you work at Holby General. Will they be able to overcome the obstacles that life throws at them?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello Lovelies, here is my first Leddi Multichapter fic. Basically its what I think the BBC should have done with our beloved Luc and Eddi. **

_**A/N: In my head Luc returned roughly a week after he ran away, after realising how much he loved Eddi and how much he'd hurt her by leaving. She was furious, but she took him back eventually. This fic starts just after they've started to get their relationship back on track...**  
_

Family Portrait 

Chapter one: Sickness and Secrets.

This was clearly no ordinary hangover, two days, three shifts and endless cups of coffee later and she feeling worse than she did before- if that was possible. Eddi Mckee was slumped over the computer at the nurse's station feeling dizzy and sick, she glanced at the clock, she had 20 minutes of her shift left to complete before she could go home and sit with her head in the toilet if necessary.

"Earth to Nurse Mckee?" Eddi sat up to find Luc Hemingway leaning over the desk, apparently trying to engage her in some form of conversational exchange.  
"What?" She quizzed, trying not to look flustered by his presence. Since the high emotional drama of the legionnaires outbreak, things had slowed down between them somewhat. After a mere few weeks of dating, she'd given him the spare key to her place, a move that had sent him into a flying panic and almost set them back to square one. When he'd finally returned and she'd finally forgiven him (which didn't take as long as he'd expected) they both agreed that things were moving too fast and agreed to tentatively take the steps to having a more "normal" relationship. That meant dates, dinner and nights in, it had been a little awkward at first, but Eddi had gradually grown to love spending evenings curled up in the caravan against Luc's chest, either idly watching telly or simply just enjoying his company whilst he read.

Of course, just because she was now Luc Hemingway's girlfriend, it didn't mean that everything was plain sailing. Although, they were almost certain that Sacha, Chrissie and in fact most of Holby were aware of their relationship, at work they fought hard to remain just professional Mr Hemingway and the equally professional Nurse Mckee. Though she knew he cared deeply about her, Eddi understood why Luc had wanted to "stay in character," as he put it. Some things just couldn't be rushed; she knew how hard it had been for both of them to admit the strength of their feelings to each other. They were never going to be AAU's "power-couple" that role had already been seized by Sacha and Chrissie and they were both more than ok with that. The thing was, Eddi found it increasingly hard not greet him with a flirtatious grin or a kiss some days, especially since recently he'd been making her feel the happiest she'd felt in years.

"What is it Mr Hemingway?" She prompted sharply, her symptoms, making the acting task at hand more achievable. As always when on the ward, Luc avoided all eye contact; "I need you to chase the lab for Mr Pilgrim's blood and urine tests please." He requested emotionlessly. "Right, yes of course," Eddi replied, swinging a bit too casually on her chair to reach the phone, knocking it off its cradle with a clatter in the process. Unfazed, Luc simply raised an eyebrow as if to say 'subtle Nurse Mckee' and stalked away. Trying hard to look casual, she quickly chased the results and turned back the patient notes she'd been trying to locate.

As she stood up to finally leave, she was alarmed as the whole ward swayed slightly, but nevertheless she made it to the locker room and managed to change out of her scrubs. She was just about to leave when another wave of dizziness suddenly overcame her and she was forced to lean against her locker in order to steady herself. At that moment, Luc came bursting in, knowing that her shift was over and wishing to see her before she left, he wound his hands around her waist and kissed her swiftly on the cheek, taking full advantage of the fact that they were alone.

"Are you alright?" He asked when he realised how pale she looked.  
"I'm fine." Eddi lied "It's just been a long shift,"  
"Are you going to be ok for tonight?" He asked, slightly looking worried.  
"I think I can manage dinner for two in my own flat" she shot back sarcastically.

"7 o'clock at Mine; be late at your peril."

Luc responded by making an equally sarcastic salute and turning to leave the room, though not before stealing a chaste kiss that left Eddi swooning involuntarily.

She knew she needn't have lied to Luc, he wouldn't have minded if she cancelled but in the month and a half that they'd been together she had begun to crave his company more and more. So much so that she'd not had a drink for weeks now and she felt fantastic- or rather she had done until today. Love could do amazing things for a woman- not that she would ever call it that of course. Over the past month and a half she'd started to look more and more like a woman in love and she was starting to care less and less about who noticed. She was almost grateful for the legionnaires out-break for making her realise exactly how much she and Luc needed each other, in fact that night in his caravan was probably the best decision she had made in a while. A rare smile crossed her lips as she remembered but quickly disappeared when a particularly worrying thought crossed her mind, a thought that made her feel more nauseated than ever, she couldn't be -could she?

Her heart was hammering inside her chest, as she began to count the days. Thanks to her medical training, Eddi knew exactly what her symptoms could mean but equally how they could mean a number of other things. In many ways, she hoped that that was the case but she needed to eliminate all the possibilities and fast. With a small groan she realised that she would be making a detour via the pharmacy or the store cupboard on maternity tonight.

By the time she made it home she was no longer dizzy but shaking and feeling sicker than ever instead, she dumped her satchel and jacket and practically ran to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She tore open the packaging discarding it without reading the instructions, she knew what to do, she'd had 'scares' like this before when she was younger and had nothing to lose. She clamped her eyes shut and prayed; she couldn't be pregnant this time, she just couldn't be, it would ruin everything she'd been trying to build with Luc.

The two minutes that followed were two of the longest of her life. It wasn't that she didn't want a baby- she did, just not now. This time she actually did have something to lose and she just couldn't face it. Eventually she peeled her eyes open a small amount to look at her watch, time was up. So with a deep breath she opened her eyes fully and looked at the pregnancy test in her hand. There it was, two lines, two blue lines merging to form a tiny blue cross. Suddenly, Eddi's stomach lurched violently, forcing her to dive for the toilet and finally throw up whatever it was she'd eaten that day.

When she felt sufficiently recovered Eddi brushed her teeth, wandered into her bedroom where she collapsed on to the small double bed with her head in her hands. She was pregnant; Pregnant with Luc Hemingway's baby. She shook her head, this was all wrong, they were still adjusting to the confines and freedoms of their new relationship; they'd only slept together a handful of times and had always used protection. This baby had a 3% chance of even coming into existence- it was nearly impossible.

However that wasn't the problem now though, the fact was that she was "with child" and that needed to be dealt with in some way. It all seemed so bizarre; the ever-prepared, decisive and fearless Eddi Mckee had now been reduced to a shaky mess with no idea how to deal with the issue in front of her. Tears trickled down her face, she felt so stupid- twenty seven was a more than acceptable age to be pregnant but somehow she felt like a lost seventeen year old with no-where to turn. At the end of the day, the nurse within her knew she had two real options: either terminate it, or become a mother but either way she would have to tell Luc.

That was the part that terrified her the most, because above all else, she risked losing him. She was the closest person in his life and he was the best thing in hers and though she hated to admit it, she needed him -more than ever now. Nevertheless, Luc was both the most predictable and unpredictable man she knew. He was like her, a nomad with as few strings attached as possible, free to go where he pleased, whenever he pleased. A baby would mean commitment and restrictions the very things that would terrify him to the core. Unless they really were stronger than they thought, their relationship was too new to withstand this- they weren't mature enough to be parents. Despite being a few years her senior, Luc was in many ways was still an over grown child, he still played with remote control helicopters and lived in a caravan for goodness sake! All of this was, of course, assuming that he didn't totally freak out and run away, just as he'd done the day she'd given him the key to her flat. If moving in scared him that much, then a baby would most likely push him away for good and there was no way she could cope as a mother on her own, for starters she could barely feed herself on a nurses wage, let alone a baby.

Then there was the small issue of having no idea how to be a good parent, as far as examples went, she had very little to go on and from what she did know about Luc's past, she suspected that his were worse than her own. Like herself, her mother had always enjoyed a drink but when her father walked out on her family, a heart broken Morag Mckee's drinking spiralled out of control. In the end it was a 13 year old Eddi who was left to pick up the pieces and look after a 3 year old Liam. Though she knew her mother loved her and her brother, Morag Mckee had always held more love for the bottle than anyone else and Eddi had all but given up trying to compete. When she finally left home age 17, she'd sworn never to be tied down again. Although now, it seemed she didn't have much choice in the matter, she was trapped once more.

**Hope all's good, please R+R **

**Much Love :)  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Family Portrait  
Chapter two; Time to Tell**

She wasn't sure how long she'd been sat like that on her bed, but when Luc rang the doorbell, bang on time as promised, she was startled out of her wits and still none the wiser as to what to do. On her way to let him in, she caught sight of herself in the mirror and recoiled slightly. She was paler than a ghost with dark trails of make up streaking her cheeks and her favourite red and black stripy sweater was also grubby and stained with mascara among other things. She hadn't even started to cook dinner, let alone get changed or clean herself up. She quickly rubbed the make-up off her face as best she could and opened the door, hoping she would be able to feign illness for now. She'd barely opened her mouth to say hello to him, when Luc greeted her at the door with a passionate kiss that made her go weak at the knees. Luc was usually a calm and expertly controlled individual, especially when it came to concealing their relationship, but the second they were both off the ward, his true colours would gradually come into view. It was this that kept their relationship thriving and Eddi adored him for it, she wasn't 100% sure if it was love yet but she knew what they had together was something she didn't want to lose.

She pulled away from him as he gently stroked her face. "Luc, I'm sorry." She confessed, "I don't feel good, I don't suppose you're up for a takeaway tonight? I've no energy to cook tonight."  
Luc took a step back and examined her, trying his hardest not to look too worried and yet concerned enough for her to know he cared. "Why, what's wrong?" he asked.

"It's nothing." Eddi hesitated, "I'm just a little under the weather, is all." Before she could protest, Luc pressed his hand to her forehead, his doctor's instincts taking over.  
"It's rarely nothing." he muttered, guiding her to the sofa, noticing she was shaking a lot.  
"Any aches? Pain? Vomiting-" he fussed, stroking her hair, making her want to scream or worse, cry in front of him.  
"Leave it Luc. I'm fine" She smiled through gritted teeth.  
"Diarrhoea?" he insisted, taking things too far before he could stop himself.  
"Luc, I said LEAVE IT." She snarled making him jump. "Sorry," She added gently, when she saw how taken aback he was, "But I am a nurse you know; I know I'm not ill."  
"Well then what's wrong?"  
Eddi fixed her eyes on the floor: "I just had some unexpected news. I don't want to talk about it yet." She muttered softly.

That was when he realised she was showing the classic signs of shock; shaking, exhaustion and signs that she'd been crying, in fact her eyes were red raw- how could he have missed it? Whatever was going on at least physically, she was ok; which was always a good start. The thing was, he was useless at solving emotional problems, he had no idea how he could make her feel better; then he remembered what Eddi had taught him about listening, perhaps which would help.

"It's not anything to do with Liam is it? He sent me an email the other day, he seemed fine." he added quickly, making her smile weakly at his sudden concern for his mentee.  
"No, it's not Liam. Don't worry." She reassured him but still gave nothing away about her situation.  
"You're not going to tell me what's wrong, are you?" Luc signed resignedly, giving up; "I'm not going to force you to talk, but you know I'll do my best to listen if you need me to, all you have to do is ask."  
"Oh the things you do for me Mr Hemingway." Eddi grinned approvingly, "Wait, and where are you off to?" She called after Luc, who had got up from the sofa and was making his way towards her kitchen.  
"Well I don't know exactly what's wrong, but you seem like you're in some sort of shock. Either way, I know you're exhausted- you need proper food, not that takeaway rubbish. I'd have thought a nurse as skilled as you would know that." Luc scolded her from the kitchen.

As she heard him clattering his way around her kitchen as though it were his own, Eddi was acutely reminded of the night first appeared on her doorstep after an agonising few weeks of absence. He had suddenly reappeared at work that morning and she had avoided him at all costs, despite his attempts to talk to her. She'd just about managed to make it through the day without erupting into tears on the ward, when he rang her doorbell and practically begged to be allowed to explain himself. She'd resisted as much as she could: she'd slammed the door in his face, screamed the worst insults she could think of at him and demanded that he never spoke to her again and yet he just stood there and quietly took it all on the chin. Nothing she said could've made him leave that night, but mere fact that he stayed despite it all, proved to Eddi exactly how much he'd already learnt from his mistake. The evening had ended with them cooking together for the first time. Eddi smiled to herself as she recalled Luc berating her playfully for her 'disorganised, abomination' of a kitchen as he struggled to find anything without her assistance. Oh, how much a simple month had changed everything. When had they become so domesticated? A dull ache began to settle in the pit of her stomach, as she realised with a sinking heart how much she loved having him around. Though he'd promised he wouldn't, Eddi was certain he would ask her again and she knew she wouldn't be able to hide from him when he did. He needed to know, the question was simply how to tell him.

Before long, Luc emerged from the kitchen with two steaming bowls of pasta carbonara in his hands. Eddi grinned appreciatively and shuffled up on the sofa where she'd been lounging to allow Luc to slot himself in behind her so she could sit comfortably leaning against his chest. It was here, with his arms around her, where she felt the safest in the world, she just couldn't bear having it again. However it was an unfortunate truth that would probably become inevitable once she told him. She was convinced now that he would run scared the second he knew and for once she couldn't blame him, because frankly she wanted to do the same. She was totally trapped, however. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even realise she was crying until Luc noticed the sobs that were shaking her body.

"Eddi you're crying." He stated simply, overwhelmed with concern. "Why?" He shifted around so that he was facing her and their noses were almost touching. He hated seeing her like this, what could have possibly got her so upset?  
"What is it? Eddi please tell me, I want to help." He begged, expertly capturing her lips with his, as he often did when she was upset. Slowly she pulled her lips away and turned away from him, she didn't want to see his reaction to this.  
"Luc, I-" She began, but faltered. "Oh god."  
"You what?" Luc urged, wrestling her closer to him once more. "Please just say it. Whatever it is, I can handle it."  
Eddi took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "Oh Jesus, Luc please don't freak out on me. I- I'm pregnant."  
She felt him freeze next to her, he didn't know what to say, he certainly hadn't been expecting this.

"Are you certain?" he managed to splutter after an age of silence.  
She nodded, "I took a test before you got here. The dates fit perfectly and there's been no-one else- it can only be yours Luc. It's too soon, I'm so sorry. I don't know what to do." She sobbed harder.  
Luc was panicking now, this was a totally alien situation for him and he considered himself a pretty useless boyfriend at the best of times, he needed some space. "Don't be sorry Eddi." He leaned forward and brushed the tears from her cheeks; "Whatever happens, this is not your fault. So don't you dare apologize." He whispered as he stood up.  
"Where are you going?" Eddi choked, terrified that she'd been correct in her predictions.  
"I need some air." Luc gasped. "I can't think straight, I need to clear my head. I'm sorry."

And with that he was gone. Luc Hemingway had done what he always did, he'd run away.

**_Thanks for reading, watch this space for chapter three!_**

**_Please R+R xx  
_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Two chapters in one week! That's rare for me; I must really like you guys or something. This is a filler chapter so I apologise for it being all talk and no action but I really wanted to explore these emotions before we move on to the bigger things. Also, a quick warning I'm purposely switching between Eddi and Luc's perspectives in this chapter, I do hope its not too confusing!  
**

**Anyway…  
**

Family Portrait

Chapter 3: Contemplation and Confession

Eddi was frozen to her spot on the sofa, the pain she'd felt when she thought Luc had left her the first time around had nothing on this, she couldn't even breathe. It was so bloody typical of Luc to run whenever things tumbled beyond his control, but some stupid tiny part of her had hoped he was braver than that now. Her whole body ached with unadulterated hurt and anger- how could he be so damn selfish? Couldn't he see how much she needed him right now? He hadn't even tried to help her decide how to deal with this, didn't he realise that this 'thing' inside of her was half him? And therefore more to the point, it was half his fault. As far of Eddi was concerned, that meant he had a say in all of this and right now that was exactly what she needed, someone to support her, someone whose opinion she valued and above all, someone she loved. She was propelled almost entirely by emotion as she pulled herself off the sofa, this fight wasn't over yet; she needed to find him.

* * *

Luc had paced the floor of his caravan so much; he was beginning to wonder whether he would pace himself through the floor and into the ground. He didn't know what else to do; his entire world had been flipped on its head and he was panicking. A baby? With Eddi? How the hell did that happen? It almost seemed like a bizarre joke. As much as he wouldn't want it to be any other woman carrying his child, he just couldn't imagine Eddi pregnant, let alone as a mother or himself as a father. Was he even ready to be a father? A child meant a future set in stone, responsibilities and commitment, the three things he struggled to cope with the most.

As a doctor, he was used to having some degree of control over life and death, but this? This was bloody terrifying. He'd never felt the way he did for Eddi for anyone else before and whilst he adored her, it also scared him utterly witless. He had remained aloof and closed off for a reason, this way he could protect himself from emotional harm- it was lonely, but at least he wasn't hurting. In theory at least. Eddi had managed to crawl under his skin further than anyone else, but he had only let her in so far- far enough that she could get to know him, but not so far that she knew everything about his past. She had his heart if she wanted to take it, but he just couldn't bring himself to simply offer it up. Still, he had to work this out, he needed to internalize it and figure out what was required of him, because soon enough he would have to talk to her and work this all out. Sooner or later, Eddi would turn to him for advice and if he wanted to keep her (which he realised he did) he would have to answer her correctly. Suddenly he stopped pacing, the answer was right there staring him in the face, if he didn't want to lose her, he had to tell her that. He had to stick by her whatever she chose to do, it held no guarantees, but it was the only plan he could come up with. What was life without a few risks anyway?

If there was anything being with Eddi had taught him, it was that listening wasn't just about hearing the words that people spoke. So with a supreme effort Luc began to desperately try and recall what had happened in the moments immediately before she broke the news to him. Rebuking himself furiously, he realised that she'd been crying, begging him not to freak out, and what had he done? He'd done just that. The only thing he could have done to make things worse was run away screaming. Sure he was scared, but she was just as scared as he was, probably more so in fact. Luc was disgusted with himself, he knew his people skills weren't up to scratch, but this oversight may have cost him the best thing that had happened to him in a very long time. Baby or no baby, whatever was going to happen to them, he needed to let her know how much she meant to him. Before they made any decisions, she needed to know he loved her. It didn't matter how scary it was, he had to salvage this. He had to get back.

* * *

She was going to get him; they needed to have this conversation regardless of the outcome. Now that there was potentially another life involved they couldn't keep second guessing each other the way they had always done in the past. She shoved her feet into her signature sky blue converses and headed for her wardrobe in search of a jacket. Her bedroom was a plain and minimalist affair, save the clothes that lay scattered across the floor and a small number of framed photos that were arranged in a creative manner on one wall.

As she opened the wardrobe, one photo in particular caught her eye; it was one of those staged family portraits from around the late 90's. It had been taken about a year before her father left; all four members stood grinning proudly at the camera, blissfully unaware of the turmoil they were about to be thrown into that eventually would tear them all apart. A baby Liam was perched happily on his mother's hip and Trevor Mckee had his arms wrapped lovingly around his daughter's skinny body. Eddi sighed, she'd always been a 'daddy's girl' right up until the very day he left and this was the only photo she had left of him. She had burnt all the others in a furious drunken rage after finally having given up all hope of him ever returning. Even 14 years on, his abandonment still burnt her in a way. If she was going to keep this baby Luc would have to decide if he was up to the job, because there was no way she was going to let her child go through the same agony she had.

* * *

Luc threw his coat over his shoulders and dashed out of the van into the rain that had started to pelt down in sheets. He didn't care how wet he got, he just needed to find her- nothing else mattered. His strides across the hospital car park quickened one by one until he was racing and skidding through the puddles that lined the route to Eddi's flat. He was so intent on getting to her that he did not see the figure that was running towards him from the opposite direction until they collided with an explosive yelp.

Realising it was Eddi stood before him, Luc instinctively reached out to gather her into his chest by way of apology, but she flinched away as though he'd hit her.

"You left. Again." She stated simply, looking him dead in the eye. The rain mixed with tears as they trickled down her cheeks, but she didn't sob. "You promised me Luc."

"I know." Luc, looked down at the floor, but reached for her hand. "I am so, so sorry Eddi. I let you down again. I panicked, I needed time to think. This is all so much to understand, but I was coming back, I promise." He tried to pull her closer to him again, but she resisted.

"I know I don't know much about relationships and I'm a pretty pathetic excuse for a boyfriend most of the time but I know this much; I love you- I realise that I REALLY love you." he admitted, slightly shocked by his own honesty. It was the first time either of them had said it aloud, it wasn't planned- it had just slipped out, but it had felt so right.

Eddi gasped and dropped her gaze, allowing herself to finally be pulled back into the safety of Luc's arms.

"I love you too," She mumbled into his chest before standing on her tiptoes and kissing him softly on the lips.

"Luc I'm so scared." She whispered in his ear.

"Me too." Luc muttered softly into her hair. "Absolutely bloody terrified, but whatever happens we'll get through this." He was assuring himself as much as her but right now that didn't matter. Eddi said nothing but shivered in her damp clothes.

"Let's go home." Luc suggested, still aware that he wasn't quite forgiven yet. He still had a lot of explaining to do.

**Thanks also to everyone who has reviewed/favourite/followed this story so far- the response to this has been literally inspiring. Now, please go and do it again if you would be so kind!**

**See you soon for chapter four!**

**Kat xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Family Portrait **

**Chapter Four: Decisions and Declarations**

**Hi all! Sorry for the long delay, this chapter was quite tricky to write plus I went on holiday and life just got in the way. On the plus side being on holiday meant that I had a lot of time to write some drafts for future chapters so hopefully the wait for the next chapters won't be as long. It's just a question now of typing them up and spell checking.**

* A/N: As promised, this chapter is dedicated to my first, 'favourite' and most impatient hater 'andi' in the hope that one day she/he will be inspired to learn some grammar and manners. The rest of this piece and all of my others is dedicated to all of the lovely people who read, review and wait patiently for me to do my thing. Words cannot express the gratitude I feel towards all of you, you are all an inspiration and I'm sorry I can't name you all individually. THANK YOU xxx *

By the time they had walked hand in hand back to the caravan, Eddi had managed to regain some more of her confidence and remembered how angry she had been.

"Luc why the bloody hell did you run away like that?" She snarled dropping his hand as he went to open the door.  
"I'm so sorry," He pleaded as he unlocked it, stepped inside and began to search for two clean towels. "I just panicked, I couldn't breathe. I just needed to get some air. That's all, I promise you." He looked over at Eddi, who was standing defensively in the doorway with her arms folded.  
"At least sit down Eddi. Please." he reasoned, offering her one of the towels.  
"Why Luc?" She replied, taking the towel and ruffling her hair dry. "You left me again. What makes you think I want anything to do with you right now?"  
"Because, it's not just about 'us' any more." He stated simply, looking her dead in the eye and watching as her scowl softened and she slowly sat down beside him. Luc breathed a small sigh of relief; he'd finally said something right.  
"I guess you're right," Eddi sighed surprised by the level of Luc's maturity, he really had been thinking about this. "The sooner we discuss this, the better I think. We need to get this out in the open, I know neither of us are very good at that but we need to do this."  
Luc nodded, "I know. I never know how to say or do the right thing, so please bear with me. I have no idea how to do this but I'm really trying, I promise Eddi, tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it."  
Eddi smiled weakly as she settled into the seat beside his, "I appreciate that Luc, but I don't even know what I want to do yet."

Luc sighed and laced his fingers through hers, before this moment, he'd held little patience with young women who found themselves unexpectedly pregnant and were unsure of what to do. In his mind it was a simple decision, either abort the baby or become a parent, but now that woman was his girlfriend he could see clearly how complicated it really was. Whichever way he looked at it, they were both entirely responsible for whatever happened with this foetus, either way it was going to change the dynamic of their relationship and he didn't like it one bit.

"Forgive me for over-simplifying, but it looks like we have two options here. Either we make a go of it as parents, or we agree it's too soon and hopefully try again when the time is right." Luc declared as delicately as he could, trying his best to rationalize the dilemma that lay before them.  
"What do you want to do?" Eddi asked, running her hands through her damp hair, making it stick up in tufts. "Do you want a baby right now? Please tell me honestly Luc, do you want it?"  
Luc, gulped. This was it, the dreaded question, what on earth could he say?

"Well, I don't not want it." He said honestly. "It's just so early on, I mean we've only been together for a month or so. I really want to make this work but I don't know if I have it in me. I mean, I don't even know what 'Eddi' is short for, for goodness sake."

Eddi was in mild shock- she'd expected him not to want the baby at all.  
"You only had to ask." She said softly.  
"Yes, I know but I should have and I didn't." Luc began berating himself. He'd set himself on a downward spiral of self-loathing, similar to the one that had brought them together and there was little Eddi could do to stall him.  
"I'd love to be a dad someday, but how can I be a good father when I don't even know my own girlfriend's full name, let alone own a house? I'm no good at things like this, I'm too self absorbed. But the problem is I don't think I could live with myself if I am going to be spending the rest of my life wondering if I made the wrong decision by not becoming a dad. Especially if this is what you want." He rambled, as she watched him becoming increasingly frustrated as he struggled uncharacteristically to explain what was going on inside his head.  
"Damn it Eddi. All I know is that you're what I want. What I'm trying to say is, I might get it wrong sometimes but I want to be with you, to support you, baby or no baby." He declared finally. Eddi nodded as she processed his little speech, she slid closer to him and placed a lingering kiss on his cheek, so he knew he'd said what she wanted to hear.

"Luc, I really hope you understand what I'm about to tell you." Eddi began "I honestly don't know how to deal with this and I certainly don't know how to be a mum but I do know this. I grew up trying to raise my brother and tending to my alcoholic mother. My Dad walked out on my family when I was thirteen, Liam and I seldom saw him after that. It hurt like hell, I loved my Dad more than anyone and he never loved me enough to stay, he just became another name on a birthday card. Liam doesn't remember, but I do, I saw it all, watched it tear my mum to pieces- the drink didn't destroy her, Dad did. I swear to God I will never ever let that happen to any of my children, ever. Not this one or any. That means if we have this baby together, there'll be no more running away when things get scary." She warned, pausing to let Luc consider the ultimatum she had almost inadvertently given him.  
"Oh and by the way," She added more casually, "Eddi's short for Edith, Edith Rose Mckee if you really must know, but if you ever call me that I will skin you alive."

"Yes boss." Luc smiled as he stuck out his hand, for Eddi to take. "Dr Luc Robert James Hemingway by the way, pleasure to meet you Edith Rose." It was a small and bizarre gesture but both knew the significance. They had both now laid their cards on the table, this was their way of proposing to wipe the slate clean and start again, this time together.  
"I'll let you off this time." Eddi scowled as she shook his hand. "But call me that again and this may well be the last baby you ever make." She gestured subconsciously towards her tiny stomach.

Luc raised an eyebrow. "Well that does change things. Do I take that to mean you've decided then?" He asked tenderly.  
"What makes you think that?" Eddi asked, her heart hammering relentlessly.  
"Well you keep referring to this baby like it's already here. It's as if you've imagined its life already." Luc observed, "Which, surprisingly, isn't as terrifying as I thought it would be."  
Eddi bowed her head, "I only want it if you do. I don't want you to say you want a baby just to please me and then run away and leave me."  
Luc swallowed, "Eddi I won't lie to you- it's not going to be easy to adjust, but I want this, I want you. I'm not going anywhere and if I do, you'll both be coming with me- I hope. It's time I stopped messing around, time I settled down." Overcome, Eddi threw herself full force at him and kissed him with as much passion as she could muster.

"So I guess Liam wasn't far off when he said you would be bringing me home for Christmas then." Luc grinned when they finally came up for air. Eddi's hand flew to her forehead.  
"Oh God!" She groaned.  
"What! What is it?" Luc said alarmed as he stepped back from the embrace.  
"That boy is going to be so smug." Eddi replied with a grimace, "And I'm going to have to tell mum."


	5. Chapter 5

**Family Portrait,**

Chapter Five: Meeting Morag 

**Hi everyone thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter! I have just a few little things to say- I hope you don't mind. Firstly, hi to a very dear old friend of mine: sketchbookstuff- thank you for taking the time to find me and read this! **

**Secondly, my grandpa was taken to hospital this morning, it gave me quite a scare but he is stable now. This chapter is dedicated to him in the hope that he makes a speedy recovery. Get well soon Gramps! 3 xxxx**

_(approx 2 weeks later.)_

Eddi put the phone back in its cradle and padded back to her living room where Luc was sat with his nose buried in one of his books. He looked up when he heard her enter the room.

"So she didn't hang up on you then," He observed nonchalantly without looking up, "Did you tell her about, you know...?" He asked gesturing towards Eddi's stomach, at barely eleven weeks pregnant she wasn't exactly showing but Eddi was certainly finding the top button of her jeans frustratingly harder to fasten.

"Ok, what did she say?" he sighed, finally looking up noticing the worried look on her face. Assuming the worst he closed his book and walked over to put his arms around her.  
"Don't take it to heart, she loves you deep down and you know it."  
Eddi smiled appreciatively and patted his arm. "I didn't tell her actually." She grimaced, "I just chatted to Liam mostly."  
Luc frowned "So why the worried face?"  
"Because when I did speak to mum, she invited me up to Leeds to visit. She's been alcohol free for six months apparently." Eddi sighed.  
"That's good though isn't it?" Luc asked.

"Well yeah for anyone else it would be, but I haven't been back to Leeds since Mum kicked me out when I was seventeen." She confessed.  
"Oh" Luc muttered, "What did you say to her just now?"  
"I said yes." Eddi replied, biting her lip anxiously. "I think I need to tell her this in person, I need to make things right before the baby comes. It doesn't need to suffer because of our mistakes."

Luc's brow furrowed slightly as he tried and failed to think of an appropriate response. "Nurse Mckee, you know I never make mistakes." He tried to joke, only to be silenced by one of his girlfriend's stony glares. "Still, I think you're doing the right thing. When are you going?" He added hastily.  
"Next weekend, but Luc you do realise that invite means you too right?" Eddi asked, rolling her eyes when she saw the realisation and discomfort build in his eyes. "Oh" he gulped again.  
"Luc, I know you've got that weekend off and you're not on call and if I'm honest, I really need you to come with me please. I can't face this alone." She confessed, "Please?"  
Luc shifted uncomfortably, "For you." He said reluctantly, "I warn you though, I'm not good with families." Eddi leant up and kissed him on the cheek in thanks.

"I love you." she whispered in his ear, still looking slightly uncertain. Suddenly Luc sat up with an expression of inspiration on his face.  
"We could always go in the van if you like? That way if things go wrong, we have a place to sleep." He suggested, kissing her neck, making her shiver with pleasure.

"Mr Hemingway, you really are a remarkable man, you know that don't you?" She purred back nibbling his earlobe and pushing him backwards onto the sofa...

-

The journey from Holby too Leeds was a long slow one, made even slower by Eddi's constant desire for various foods she was craving and loo stops that seemed to be required every single hour. As Luc steered his beloved rattling campervan slowly but confidently along the motorways, he made a mental note to allow for at least an extra hour when travelling long distances with a pregnant Eddi in the future. Overall, it wasn't the most comfortable of rides but the familiarity of Luc's well travelled home eased Eddi's nerves a tiny amount.

They spent most of the ride decidedly avoiding the subject of Eddi's family. Instead, they wiled away the time wondering whether any of their colleagues had guessed their news yet. They weren't doing a great job of hiding it, Morning sickness was turning out to be more difficult to conceal than Eddi had originally thought, it often caught her off guard and forced her to disappear from the ward as quickly as she could without running. Luc was also finding it hard to maintain his professional exterior; each time he saw Eddi flee he had to fight the urge to run to take care of her. However, he found himself duty bound to his patients, making his less than perfect bedside manner even more curt than usual. On top of all this Chrissie was beginning to raise her nosy eyebrows and Eddi was certain she knew. Either way, they both agreed that if they didn't make their announcement soon, it would be Chrissie doing it for them.

As they neared the outskirts of Leeds, the conversation slowed until Eddi fell silent. She was staring straight ahead with a decidedly emotionless expression painted over her face- A trick she'd subconsciously learned from Luc himself. Noticing this, Luc reached for her hand with his free one and squeezed it.  
"It's going to be ok you know." He said tenderly.  
"I know." Eddi muttered back, desperately trying to suppress the unwelcome memories that began to bubble to the surface. "I need to do this; it's been left far too long."  
"Perhaps now you both seem to have sorted your lives out things could get better. If you really want we could turn around now and go home, but I know you'll regret it if you do." Luc advised.  
"You're right." Eddi agreed. "For Me, for Liam, for the baby too." She added determinedly, this was becoming her mantra for the trip.

They followed the directions into a typical city centre street, the tall brown buildings, blended seamlessly into the overcast sky, providing a very claustrophobic feel.  
"There it is. That's my old front door." Eddi pointed.

Luc killed the engine outside one of the houses, the only one with a shiny red front door. Eddi smiled to herself as she recalled boasting about this fact to all her friends and classmates as a small child. She always had liked to stand out from the crowd, even at the tender age of five or six. Luc looked over at his girlfriend, observing the reminiscent look on her face. She'd spent the first seventeen years of her life growing up in this house and this was her first visit home since her abrupt departure ten years ago, it was bound to trigger memories.  
"Come on," he urged gently." It's time to go inside."

With trembling limbs, Eddi lead the way cautiously up the garden path and pressed the doorbell. She felt even sicker than usual, all the few meetings she'd had with her mother since leaving home had ended in disaster. The last one had left

Eddi with a desire to do nothing more than drink herself into oblivion. By the time her then flatmates found her she was beyond paraletic. Following a night of having her stomach pumped at St. James's A+E, Eddi had resolved to cut herself off from her family. She had succeeded quite happily for two whole years until Liam had tracked her down. Since then she and Morag spoke on the phone on occasion, but this time Eddi was oddly hopeful, perhaps now they were both sober they could resolve things.

After a few anxious minutes of waiting, the door opened and Eddi froze, aside from the extra wrinkles around her eyes, Morag had barely changed. Luc was astounded at the resemblance; Eddi was a double of her mother; delicate elfin features, petite frame and dark thoughtful eyes. The only difference between them, apart from the age was their hair, where Eddi's was short, dark and French-braided neatly, Morag Mckee's hair was a greying shade of strawberry blonde which hung around her face looking slightly unkempt. The two women were stood frozen momentarily by the sight of each other until the older of the two launched forward and pulled the younger into a smothering hug.

"Edith!" She cried a little too loudly, forgetting her daughters preferred name in the process. "My Edith- Oh it's so good to finally see you!"  
"It's good to see you too mum." Eddi replied uncertainly, "Luc, this is-" She began, but was interrupted as Morag spotted Luc and rushed towards him.

"And you must be Luc!" She exclaimed in her thick Yorkshire accent, pulling him into a similarly awkward embrace. "I've heard so much about you! Thank you so much for helping our Liam. It's so nice to finally meet you!"  
Luc smiled politely and carefully removed himself from the hug. "And you Mrs Mckee." He replied  
"Morag to you love." She corrected "Now come along, let's get you two inside."

She ushered them both into the narrow hallway and closed the door firmly behind them. "So far, so good." Eddi thought to herself, she could only hope that it would stay this way. This was her chance at a new beginning.

**Thanks for reading again! I'm afraid I don't know when chapter six will be spending the next few days visiting Gramps, so please be patient with me!**

**Please R+R and stuff in the meantime. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Family Portrait,**

**Hello, this is a bit of a long one for you to enjoy. Thank you so much to all of you who messaged me to wish my granddad well- I'm happy to report he's ok; he's had a pacemaker fitted and is now on the mend. Any way enough about my life…**

**Chapter six: Eddi and Edith**

The small terrace house was much more cramped than Eddi initially remembered and much, much tidier than the squalor she'd left behind. All the changes she'd noticed so far seemed to be positive, but there was something about the whole set up that set Eddi on edge. Whilst she'd spent most of her teenage years wishing her mother would change, but now it seemed she had, Eddi found it more unnerving than ever, she wasn't used to her mother being in control.

"Edith, go and put your bags upstairs why don't you? I've a bed set up in your old room for you and Luc, go and say hi to your brother while you're up there." Morag called from the kitchen.

"Sure." Eddi called back, "This way." She instructed Luc to follow her up the stairs. On the tiny landing they were greeted by a familiar figure.

"Ed! You came!" Liam exclaimed gleefully greeting Eddi with a quick hug before turning to Luc.

"So, I guess she couldn't even wait till Christmas to bring you home Mr H. Good to see you again mate." He declared triumphantly taking Luc's hand and pulling him into a slightly awkward 'man to man' hug.

Eddi raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you get so cocky." she teased her brother.

"Since I became a professional psychic," Liam shot back as he disappeared downstairs.

Rolling her eyes once more, Eddi took Liam by the arm and pulled him into her old room and gasped at the sight. It was like they'd been transported back to the nineties, nothing had changed apart from the double bed that now consumed almost the entire room. All of the posters and photos that teenage Eddi had plastered all over the walls still remained, as well as a small menagerie of stuffed animals and small number of assorted swimming and gymnastics awards from days gone by, all of which sat neatly on the windowsill. Luc raised an eyebrow when he spotted the gymnastics award, "Well that explains a lot." He joked suggestively, but Eddi wasn't listening, instead she was gazing absently at some of the photos on the wall. Luc put the bags he was carrying down and went to join her, fascinated by the different 'versions' of his girlfriend that were present before him. Chubby toddler Eddi, School girl Eddi and Grunge-Goth Eddi all grinned, giggled and scowled back at him respectively.

"I ought to take some of these back to show everyone at Holby." Luc joked once more, taking her hand in his. "You were a very cute kid, though I'm not too sure about the Goth phase. On a more serious note though, how are you holding up?"

"I don't know." Eddi sighed. "It's all so weird. She's acting different and I don't know if that's a good or bad thing. I used to be able to predict her every move and now I can't." Eddi confessed.

"Yes but this is your mother sober." Luc reasoned. "From what you've told me about her I doubt you really remember what she was like before her drinking."

"I know," She nodded back. "But it feels wrong, something's not right, I can feel it."

"Eddi, you need to try and relax, it's not good for any of us if you don't. It's only two nights, and then we can go home. There's not much we can do if something does happen- we just have to deal with it if it does."

"What if she reacts badly when I tell her I'm pregnant?" Eddi asked nibbling at the skin around her thumb anxiously.

"We try and talk to her, and if not we sleep in the van and go home first thing. I'll doubt she'll react badly anyway, it might be a shock but what mother doesn't love becoming a grandma?"

Suddenly a voice from downstairs called them to come and have a brew.

"Right." Eddi stated determinedly, "When we get down there we're going to tell her."

When they entered the front room they found Morag and a mildly disgruntled looking Liam already assembled with their mugs in hand. With Luc's arm wrapped supportively around her shoulders, Eddi drew a laboured breath.

"Mum, Liam, I- I mean we've got something we need to tell you." She stuttered.

"Okay." Morag replied, her expression unreadable.

"I'm pregnant." Eddi blurted quickly. "Luc and me, we're having a baby." She'd never phrased it that way before and it'd really made them both smile. They were both terrified, but on the outside they were beaming genuinely from ear to ear.

Though not unhappy, Liam and Morag seemed paralyzed by shock. It was Liam who moved first. "I knew it!" he exclaimed.

"Oh congratulations Sis! Oh my God, I'm going to be an uncle! That's so cool." Eddi grinned back at her brother and looked over at her mother, tears were formed in her eyes but she was smiling.

"You ok mum?" Eddi asked cautiously, causing her mum to snap back to life.

"Oh Edith, my gorgeous girl, that's wonderful news- I'm so happy for you!" she smiled, standing up and embracing the couple.

The remainder of the afternoon passed relatively smoothly without much significance, Liam spent most of it proudly explaining to Luc how he had completed his community service at home in Leeds. Apparently he now had grand ideas to become a youth worker at his local youth club, so he could help 'kids like him' stay out of trouble. Meanwhile Eddi was left to help her mother prepare an evening meal, something that had rarely happened in the McKee household of her childhood. As she helped her mother prepare the vegetables Eddi dutifully recited the details of how she and Luc got together whilst Morag questioned and swooned in equal measure.

It felt weird to be having a girly conversation with her mother, for years Eddi had longed for this moment, but now it had arrived it felt weird and awkward, but nevertheless she persevered.

"So, Edith-Rose when's the big day?" Morag chirruped, catching Eddi off guard.

"Oh um, I've not had a scan yet, that's next week, but I'd guess about March time." She calculated roughly.

"No, you daft thing," her mother scolded affectionately, "I mean you and Luc. Have you two set a date yet? I assume you're getting married right?"

At that moment Eddi who had stopped peeling vegetables to take a sip of her tea, began to choke rather violently. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind. How dare her mother be so assumptive! Fighting the urge to scream at her Eddi turned so she was facing her mother dead on.

"Um no, we're not, marriage isn't really a big deal for us. Things are moving fast enough as it is. We're in love and that's all we need." Eddi spluttered once she'd recovered from the shock. Taking the name 'Mrs Hemingway' was a laughable idea, she loved Luc but she wasn't about to marry him. There was no need, marriage was just another one of those words that scared them both senseless. They were both committed, that was all they needed.

She watched as cheesy grin fell from Morag's face. "Why?" Morag asked before she could stop herself. "Why not get married? Surely a stable home is the best thing for your baby."

That was it. Eddi was beyond angry now, she was outraged. "Oh really," she snarled "Because that worked out so well for you! I notice you're still 'Mrs McKee' despite the fact that Dad hasn't been around in the past 14 years. Yeah you two getting married really did Liam and me the world of good, didn't it?" Ten years of pure hurt poured out into that sentence before Eddi could stop it. Her hand flew to her mouth in horror as she her mother recoiled as though she'd been slapped and tears began to fall from her eyes.

"Mum, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that, really I didn't." Eddi pleaded.

"Oh you meant it alright." Morag spat back quietly. "Are you happy now?"

"No!" Eddi begged, trying to keep her voice low so that Liam and Luc didn't hear that they were arguing. "Ok, fine I did mean it in a way, but don't pretend you don't understand what I meant. It wasn't just you who got hurt when Dad left Mum. Liam can't remember it, but I can and I swear on my life my kids will never know that level of agony."

"So why come home then? You seemed quite happy to leave us all behind and cut us off before." Morag accused.

"I had my reasons." Eddi said calmly. "But that's history now. I want my baby to have a grandma, because for all I know about Luc's family, you could be the only one he or she has. This is our chance to start again and leave the past in the past. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said what I did back then but you have to understand that Luc and I have reasons for doing things the way we do. We know what we're doing."

Morag's eyes lit up, "I'm sorry. I never should have probed." Morag said a little too quickly. "Can we just pretend that this didn't happen?" She asked meekly.

Ordinarily Eddi would have stubbornly refused but now she needed to be mature- this was her mother for goodness sake. "Ok." She agreed with a small smile, allowing herself to be enveloped in a quick hug.

"I'm so sorry for everything, Eddi" Morag whispered in her ear.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Neither Luc nor Liam had heard the dispute that had broken out in the kitchen and remained blissfully unaware of the whole event. Morag however had become more subdued and cautious. She politely asked if they'd thought about baby names and tentatively asked some more light hearted questions to make conversation, but made no more comments or suggestions. Instead she slowly became more and more withdrawn until she finally excused herself and disappeared off to bed, soon to be followed by the others.

Eddi was fast asleep with her head on Luc's chest when the sound of smashing glass forced her to sit up abruptly. Her movements caused Luc to stir and grumble incoherently. "Luc wake up." Eddi hissed, "There's someone downstairs. I'm going down to investigate."

"M'kay." Luc grunted back, not fully aware of what she'd said until she was about half-way down the stairs.

She wasn't certain what she would find when she made it downstairs, but someone was most definitely in the front room. Instinctively Eddi grabbed a nearby umbrella to arm herself but soon dropped it again and gasped when she took in what she saw. A very drunk Morag McKee was stood in the corner of the room, gazing in disbelief and bewilderment at the shards of a smashed vodka bottle that were scattered on the floor around her. She was a mess, she'd clearly been crying and there were cuts all up her arms- one of which was bleeding quite profusely, her hands were clutching two halves of what looked like a very battered wedding photograph.

"I s-s-s-saw what it'd been doing t-too me," Morag slurred in explanation when she saw she'd been caught, "L-look at what t'it did to us, so I threw it away. I was s-starting again but I failed." She began to sob. "I'm s-so s-sorry Eddi. I'm s-sorry!"

Eddi couldn't even respond, the scene before her eyes was like the ones she used to encounter back almost every night as a teenager, it was too much. How had it all managed to go so wrong again? She was still standing there speechless when Luc finally entered followed by Liam, who also stalled at the sight of his drunken mother. "I'll get a broom he muttered" Shuffling out of the room as fast as he could. Luc put his arm supportively around Eddi's shoulder, "Come on, let's see if we can sort those cuts out." He said, "I've got a first aid kit in the van- see if you can calm her down a bit while I go and fetch it." Eddi simply nodded as she guided her mother to an arm chair, keeping her arm high above her head. She found she was actually fighting tears, her mother had let her down again- couldn't she see that she needed her? It wasn't fair.

"Why mum? Why?" She asked, working hard to mask her emotions.

"I thought I could do it, s-stay in control, have just one more drink. I kept thinking of him and what he did to us. I was so in love with him- like you are with Luc. It reminded me. I've let you down Eddi, we both did, but you're still here. How on earth do you forgive me?" Morag choked as Luc re-entered clutching his medical kit and a sutcher kit he'd 'borrowed' from work. Eddi said nothing to her mother and instead automatically took the swabs and antiseptic from Luc and began to clean the wound. It was as though they were on AAU; they worked together seamlessly as they patched Morag up and stitched the cut on her arm back together.

"I'm so s-sorry." Morag slurred again, looking pitifully at her daughter who was decidedly focused on the task at hand.

"It's ok you know Morag." Luc assured her, surprising Eddi in the process, "You're not the first to fall off the wagon like this. You'll be ok as long as you get back on again. You can do it, do it for Eddi, do it for Liam, and do it for your grandchild." He urged

"Wounds and stitches are clean and dressed." Eddi muttered, still unable to meet her mother's gaze. "I think its best we get you to bed mum."

"Good idea." Luc agreed, as he watched Eddi expertly hook her mother's uninjured arm over her shoulder in an obviously well-practiced manoeuvre. How had such a positive trip ended in such a nightmare?

**Right, I may have to slow up updates a bit and do a bit more writing to keep this flowing nicely, but bear with me guys I will get on with it as soon as I can!**

**Kat xx**


	7. Chapter 7

**Family Portrait**

**Right then, that was easier to type than I expected! Plus I hear Luc is coming back for real- Yay!**

**Chapter eight: Hope and Hell**

Eddi managed to keep herself composed until she'd guided her mother safely up to bed, but when she returned downstairs, she couldn't help but collapse in on herself causing Luc to rush to her aid.

"Luc I need to go home." She choked "I should have known this was a bad idea. Liam if you want you can come and stay at mine for a bit, but I can't stay here, Mum and I are bad for each other."

"Thanks Ed, but I'm staying here. It's my turn to look after her now. You did it all when I was growing up, you've got your own life now and I'd just be getting in the way. Besides Ed this wasn't your fault." Liam reasoned dutifully.

"It was my fault. I said something I should never have said, Luc we need to go- I was wrong; this is hell, I can't deal with it." Eddi began to sob.

"At least wait until the morning." Luc suggested.

"I can't. I can't face her. I can't be here."

"Fine, we'll sleep in the campervan tonight if you like, but I'm not driving till morning. Things might seem clearer when you've slept on them. Eddi I'm doing this for your own good."

"I just want to go home, Luc." Eddi insisted, sounding like a petulant child

"You'll regret it later if you leave her like this. It could set her back years. At least wait until morning and say goodbye. Anyway, my van is home." Luc argued gently, holding her tight to his chest, feeling her sobs gradually even out.

"Ok, fine but we go first thing tomorrow." She conceded eventually.

The couple bade a solemn good night to Liam, took the spare key and clambered sleepily into the campervan. Eddi hung back to allow Luc to haul himself up into the bunk-bed before following him up and slotting herself in around him, breathing in his comforting scent.

"I love you Luc." She whispered. "You said everything that needed to be said in there, everything I couldn't say. I'm sorry you had to see that."

"It's ok; we all have our family nightmares." Luc reassured her dozily.

"Ok then, what's yours?" Eddi asked there was far too much adrenaline and emotion coursing through her body to allow her to sleep just yet. "I know literally nothing of your history, why is that?"

"It's not something I choose to dwell on really." Luc said honestly into the darkness, glad that for once he did not have to hide his emotions.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry." Eddi apologized, "But please tell me this: Will our little monster here have a grandma or gramps from your side? Will he/she have any Aunties or Uncles?"

Luc cleared his throat awkwardly, he owed Eddi an answer to this question, if nothing else he owed it to the child she carried, but the issue was how on earth could he begin to explain this?

"No Aunties or Uncles that I'm aware of. Grandparents and other relatives, yes but it's rather tricky so to speak."

"How so?" Eddi inquired, before realising how uncomfortable Luc was becoming. "Sorry you don't have to say if you don't want to."

"I do want to." Luc said solemnly. "I trust you. My Dad was a traveller you see, apparently he met my seventeen year old mother the summer I was conceived and then took off again that autumn. I'm pretty sure he has no idea of my existence; I never met him so I could have hundreds of siblings for all I know. All I do know is that mum gave me his name 'James Hemingway' instead of her own and the rest is a mystery to me. I was brought up by my mother and my uncle Robert instead."

"Can't you ask one of them then?"

"Even if I wanted to I couldn't."

"Why?"

Luc grimaced into the dark, he was distinctly aware of how he was letting Eddi in closer than anyone had ever been before. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd talked so openly about his past like this, it was a terrifying thought.

"When I was about six or seven, mother was driving us to meet Uncle Robert. We were late, so she was speeding. She didn't see a car pulling out of the junction." He paused and shuddered, remembering like it was yesterday. "We were both trapped in the wreckage and she was unconscious, she took a massive blow to the head. She was in a coma for six weeks and then when she finally came around her short-term memory was as good as gone. She came out of the accident with a textbook case of anterograde amnesia, and all I got was a broken arm and a text book case of claustrophobia."

Eddi didn't know what to say, Luc had never been known to disclose this level of personal detail before and now she knew why. Still unable to speak, Eddi simply cuddled closer to him and laced her fingers around his.

"Physically she's doing well for her age." Luc continued bravely, "She's pretty independent, all things considered but she does need a lot of care. She can remember everything up until the accident, but anything new after that she just forgets the next day. For example she knows she has a son called Luc but she still thinks he's a little boy, she has no idea that I'm him, unless we tell her otherwise."

"That must be so awful Luc, I'm so sorry." Eddi whispered.

"Why?" Luc said pragmatically, "You didn't cause the accident. Anyway I got used to it. My uncle took me to see her as often as we could, he raised me and now he lives with her full time. He's an amazing man, you know." Eddi noticed the guilt that was seeping into his voice.

"When was the last time you saw her?"

"A while ago, I ought to go more often but when you're a surgeon and a research fellow in a busy hospital life tends to get in the way. I spent a lot of time with her after I- you know. She was the one who told me somewhat inadvertently to come back." He sighed shakily not really wanting to refer back to the time when he ran out on her.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Eddi insisted, trying to hide her shock.

Luc shrugged, "What can I keep for myself if I tell you my hell? If I just told you all the truth there and then, there would only be lies left to tell." He said poetically.

"Will you take me to meet her before the baby's born?" Eddi asked without a second thought.

"Why?" Luc couldn't help but be surprised, his heart filling with love for her- no one had ever asked to meet his mum before whether they knew about her condition or not.

"Well you met my mother- now I want to meet yours." Eddi replied simply

"I suppose that's fair. I suppose I will if you want but only if you at least leave Morag a note before we leave tomorrow. Deal?"

"Deal."

"So there you have it. 'Little Monster' Hemingway-McKee has two dysfunctional grandmothers, two absent grandfathers and an Uncle who's an ex- juvenile delinquent. Lucky little Hemingway-McKee, What have we done?" Luc chuckled ironically. "What?" he asked feeling Eddi attempt to stare at him in the dark.

"Just Hemingway, I think." Eddi corrected him with a kiss, "The world isn't ready for more McKee's just yet, and the existing four of us are enough trouble as it is!"

Luc kissed her back, "I'm flattered Eddi, but let's not make too many decisions yet. Let's just get some sleep. I love you."

"Love you too."

I was gone ten by the time Luc and Eddi managed to reluctantly drag themselves out of Luc's tiny bunk.

"You know what? No offence Luc but I'll be glad in a few months' time when we'll no longer be able to fit on that bed." Eddi declared sleepily, stretching her back gingerly as Luc set about stowing the bed away.

"It's alright for you, Little Miss Spread-Eagle." Luc teased. "It's still a mystery to me how someone as small as you manages to take up so much space."

"I am not small." Eddi protested indignantly.

"You are." Luc replied, "Anyway, I've been thinking. Thinking I should probably sell this van, I mean it's barely big enough for two of us let alone three."

"What and buy a bigger one?" Eddi asked, confused.

"Maybe, I was thinking bigger though, much bigger- house sized maybe?"

"I'd like that." Eddi grinned shyly and kissed Luc on the cheek. "But let's talk when we get home. I think I have some damage control to do here for the moment."

Liam greeted them at the front door when they entered the house. "She's still asleep." He advised. "Best let her wake up in her own time Ed, you know what she can be like. I got you a pen and some paper in case you wanted to leave her a note though." He added thoughtfully.

Eddi thanked her brother and settled down to write, while Luc began to fetch their bags.

"_Mum," _It read, _"I guess it was all a bit too much, too soon. Luc and I are going back to Holby, but we've not given up. I won't be coming back to Leeds for the time being, there's too much history here for me, but when you're sober I really want you to come and see us down there. I want to show you what I've done with my life despite everything. Think of this as your goal, I don't care how long it takes, I'll wait for you. Until then, I'm not cutting you off; you've got my number- call me when you're sober. All my love, Eddi."_

By the time she'd finished, Luc had stuffed the remainder of their bags into the campervan and was sat in deep discussion with Liam at the kitchen table. Silently Eddi crept past them, up the stairs and into her mother's bedroom.

"Whaa?" Morag stirred as Eddi slipped the note onto the bedside table.

"Go back to sleep mum." She hissed as she crept out the door. "I love you."

**Cool, so I'll see you for chapter 8 yeah? Leave us a little review on your way out. : ) **


	8. Chapter 8

**Family Portrait**

**Chapter Eight: Names and Next steps**

**So I've been super busy in the past week, but I also managed to find the time to type this one up. I didn't think I'd get it done but I have. I must really like you guys or something. Also thank you so much for all the reviews, this is the longest fic I've ever done and it has received the highest number of reviews I've ever had. It is literally heart-warming, thank you, you lovely people.**

Sacha greeted Luc and Eddi cheerily as they both walked leisurely over to the nurse's station, ready to start their shift. There was something different about both of them, Sacha had never seen Eddi grinning in such a manner and even Luc had a bit more of a twinkle in his eye.

"You two look happy." Sacha remarked ironically, "What's the occasion?" Expecting to be rebuffed, Sacha was more than surprised when they or rather Eddi grabbed him by his scrubs, yanked him into the office and closed the door.

"So there is an occasion then?" He asked confused.

Eddi opened her mouth to tell him but Luc shushed her and instead reached into the pocket of his own scrubs and handed Sacha what appeared to be a photograph. He'd always loved watching the faces people made when they worked things out for themselves, but Sacha's reaction here was priceless. He looked from the scan to Luc, to Eddi, to her stomach and back again.

"You're…?" He gasped, quite unable to articulate what he meant.

"Yup." Eddi nodded, unable to hold back her beam any longer.

"Oh congratulations!" Sacha cried, scooping them both into a bear hug. "Any idea when?"

"According to the scan, he or she should be with us around March." Luc replied happily.

"Well, after the first day of working with you two I'd never have guessed this." Sacha chuckled.

Eddi paused thoughtfully as she recalled how offended she'd been by Luc's mere presence on the ward and how awkward poor Sacha had felt about the whole thing. "No, I don't suppose any of us did." She agreed. Suddenly the group were interrupted by Chrissie as she bustled her way into the office. "Sacha, Mr Livey's bloods are back. Hey! Where was my invite to the party?" She joked indignantly, sensing that she was missing out on something. Eddi looked the other woman up and down, she'd never much liked Chrissie but she was Sacha's fiancé and soon enough he would tell her anyway. Then their news would be all over the hospital before the end of the day just as the news of their relationship was the day Chrissie had tried to barge in on them, the second time Eddi had spent the night in Luc's caravan. Eddi sighed inwardly; it would be better to tell her now and be in control of the situation than have everyone speculating.

"Put it this way, Chrissie: Daniel isn't going to be the only AAU baby for much longer." Eddi said cryptically.

"Eddi and Luc are having a baby." Sacha explained, reading Chrissies evident confusion. The blonde nurse let out a small uncharacteristic squeak of delight, Eddi may have had her reservations about her, but Chrissie bore no such grudge. Eddi had saved her fiancés life after all.

"Oh wow!" Chrissie giggled, "That does explain a lot of your disappearances lately Eddi- and there was me thinking you'd caught some of Luc's wanderlust. Congratulations, it's about bloody time."

Ordinarily, Eddi would have taken offence at these comments, but deep down she realised that Chrissie genuinely meant well. "Thanks." She mumbled with a small smile.

The two couples stood together in a moment of silence, not entirely sure how best to proceed. Together the four of them had seen each other through many things and when they were getting along they usually worked as a fantastic team, group conversation however was not something they'd ever really had the chance to practice. Mercifully the silence was broken quickly by both Luc and Sacha's pagers bleeping simultaneously.

"That's Mr Griffin- apparently I'm needed on Keller, he Serena and Malick are all caught up in theatre. I've got to dash" Sacha explained, giving Chrissie a quick kiss and heading for the door. "Congratulations guys." He added.

"And that's Mr Spence for me." Luc clarified, "I'll see you at lunch." He told Eddi, pausing as he dithered about whether to kiss her, fully aware that Chrissie was watching him like a hawk. Sensing the reason behind his hesitation Eddi boldly took a step forward and met him halfway, grinning as she did so. When she turned around she noted smugly how Chrissie's eyebrows were raised so high that they practically met her hairline.

"What?" Eddi asked once Luc had left.

Chrissie blushed, "Nothing. It's just you two- kissing at work, you'll be having pet names for each other next."

Eddi shuddered by way of response; "Never."

"I had wondered where you kept running off to. Now it all makes sense, personally I would suggest some ginger, literally anything with ginger in worked wonders when I was pregnant with Daniel." The older nurse offered helpfully.

"Excuse me?" Eddi quizzed, not impolitely, merely muddled by her colleagues seemingly random comment.

"For the sickness," Chrissie explained, "At least that's where I assume you keep going. Forgive me, but it looks like it's been taking its toll a bit, at least try it for Luc's sake- he looks nearly ready to have a nervous breakdown every time you have to make a dash for it."

"Ok, um… thanks." Eddi stuttered back, she had been right, Chrissie had known all along. She was actually quite surprised; she'd never considered Chrissie as an ally before, but she'd actually proved she wasn't quite the gossipy grump that Eddi had initially thought, plus information like this could prove invaluable.

"No problem," Chrissie smiled, "I know you think I'm an interfering old cow, but seriously, any pregnancy advice or cover or anything, you can ask me. I've got your back, I've been there."

"Right, thanks," Eddi mumbled wishing she could think of something more to say and feeling slightly embarrassed- was she really that obvious?

"Don't mention it." Chrissie said genuinely, "Eddi I know you and Luc prefer to keep yourselves to yourselves, but you saved Sacha's life. I owe you everything. Just don't tell the boys!" She winked, before turning on her heel and leaving the office, leaving Eddi standing alone with her mouth slightly agape.

By the time she reached her lunch break Eddi was ravenous and riddled with a monstrous craving for anything containing a tomato. The craving was such that she didn't even wait to see if Luc had finished his rounds before racing down to the cafeteria, where she was met by a pink and giggly Chantelle Lane.

"Ooh Eddi, I just heard your news, CONGRATULATIONS!" She cooed happily, bouncing up and down on the spot.

"Gosh, news travels fast round here. Thanks." Eddi smiled back, quietly wishing Chantelle would move so she could get to the sandwich counter.

Chantelle blinked "Oh trust me, this is nothing. When Mr Hamilton came out to his Dad on the ward, the news about him and Simon reached Darwin within half an hour and you know what it's like up there, it's like they're in their own private world. Gossip always reaches them last, even Mr Hanssen knew before noon."

"Oh shoot." Eddi cussed under her breath, "I hadn't told him yet." However she was distracted by Luc who appeared at that very moment, clutching a tomato and cheese toasty in his hand. "Beat you to it," He grinned childishly, handing it to Eddi, who almost instantaneously began devouring it. "Afternoon Nurse Lane," he added politely.

"Hi Mr Hemingway," Chantelle beamed back, "Congratulations by the way! Lleucu told me, oh you guys are gonna make such cute parents." She babbled.

Luc frowned slightly, "Thank you. But how on earth does Nurse Jones know about that already? We only told Sacha and Chrissie two hours ago."

"Well," Chantelle considered this for a moment, "She must've heard Sister Williams telling Mr Malick upon Keller, when she came to transfer a patient for Sacha." She deduced triumphantly.

"Wow that Sister Williams has outdone herself this time." Luc chuckled in disbelief as they parted ways with Chantelle and found themselves a table.

"Luc, I've been thinking…" Eddi began.

"Always dangerous," Luc teased.

"Shut up. I was thinking about what we're going to call this baby."

"… And did you come up with anything?" Luc prompted

"I have a few suggestions, but what about you?" Eddi replied cryptically.

Luc hesitated, "I'm not sure. I might, you go first." He leaned forward as if to demonstrate that he was listening intently.

"Um, I like Celtic names for girls." Eddi said shyly, "Don't laugh ok, but all the women in my family have Celtic or Old English names- it's kind of a tradition."

"I'm not laughing." Luc said matter-of-factly, "Did you come across any names you liked?"

"So far I liked Isla and Hazel the best." She suggested, "Isla was my Nan's middle name."

Luc nodded "How about for a boy?"

"Well, there's no tradition for boys in my family, but I like the names Toby and Noah. What do you think?"

"Actually I like all of those." Luc smiled, slightly surprising Eddi yet again.

"I sense a 'but' coming though." Eddi prompted perceptively. "Out with it."

Luc dropped her gaze and looked down at the table, "Actually I wanted to suggest James for a boy." He mumbled, looking up as he saw Eddi's face soften. "As in after your Dad?"

"Yeah, it's all I have of him. I'd like to keep it in the family- a middle name maybe?" he explained softly, his expression giving away his seriousness. This really meant a lot to him.

"I think we can arrange that," Eddi smiled tenderly, "Any ideas for a girl?"

"I like the Celtic idea, not sure I can beat Isla or Hazel though,"

"Try me."

Luc's brow furrowed in thought. "Erm, Ashlynn? Ava?" He suggested.

Eddi considered this, "I like Ava maybe," She hedged, "Ah well I guess we have a while to think, so there's no rush."

"Actually whilst we're discussing stuff," Luc changed the subject boldly, "I'm still thinking about selling the van, what do you think?"

Eddi examined Luc's features critically; "Is that Luc-speak for 'Let's move in together'?"

"I suppose so yeah- or rather, can I move in with you?" Luc corrected himself sheepishly, as he watched Eddi's expression light up.

"I thought you'd never ask." She exclaimed in delight, but then her expression darkened as she examined Luc's body language for signs of fear or anxiety, "Are you sure though?" She asked, painfully aware of what had happened the last time they had tried to take this step.

"Yes, I'm sure- In fact I've never been surer of anything." Luc grinned, making Eddi relax a little.

"There's just one problem with that Luc." She murmured, taking his hand in her own, "My one bedroom flat is only marginally bigger than your van. It'll be alright for now, but what happens when this one gets bigger?" She asked, resting a hand instinctively on her stomach.

Luc faltered slightly, "Well, I did have an answer for that, but it's a bit of a scary one." He confessed.

"Try me." Eddi challenge him. "What can be scarier than having a baby?"

"Well I could put the money made by selling the van and some of my inheritance on putting a deposit down on a house. If that was what you wanted." He said with a gulp.

"Yeah, that is a bit scary." Eddi agreed, understanding Luc's apprehension. "There's no hurry though." She soothed, "I mean we've got a while before Little Monster, makes an appearance, let alone take up too much space."

"Yeah I suppose so," Luc sighed. "We might have to change that trip to IKEA into a trip to Mother-Care though."

**Hope you're still enjoying this! Please do leave us a review if you are so inclined. Oh and while I'm here, I've finally joined my name is emergency-heart, so if you're on there, please do come and say hello.**

**Kat xx**


	9. Chapter 9

**Family Portrait**

**Chapter Nine: Making Memories. (Three months later)**

**I hope you guys like this chapter, it was massively tricky to write. I did research Anna's condition and the research that Luc references is real- I just hope I interpreted it right and for those seeking a simpler explanation think Lucy In "50 First Dates" It might well be a while before we see chapter 10 because I am moving back to Uni and may not have internet for a while, so I've left you with a long one. Anyway I hope you enjoy!**

It had taken Luc more than three months to pluck up the courage to do this since Eddi had asked him to, but the day was finally here, he was taking Eddi to meet his family. Luc swung the car into the drive way and slammed on the brakes a little too quickly, causing Eddi to curse in surprise.

"Sorry, sorry." He apologized, he still hadn't gotten used to the new vehicle, a month after purchasing it he missed his battered old van but he wasn't complaining that much. He couldn't really; selling it had been his idea after all. He applied the handbrake, unclipped his seatbelt and dutifully hurried around to the other side of the car to offer Eddi a helping hand. Being a mere 5ft4" and six months pregnant presented a number of challenges for Eddi, including tasks that required her to stretch or reach anything. Nevertheless she stubbornly refused help wherever possible and pointedly ignored Luc's outstretched arm as she strategically pulled herself out of the car.

"Luc!" a cheerful voice called from behind them causing them both to turn around on the spot. A man who resembled a shorter, older version of Luc was walking towards them eagerly, "My boy it's been far too long." He declared embracing him, "How are you? Busy as ever?"

"Oh yes." Luc agreed "It's good to see you too Uncle Robert. By the way this is my girlfriend Eddi." He added with a proud grin.

Robert turned to Eddi and shook her formally by the hand. "Goodness Luc, you picked a pretty girl here, you'd better hold on to her." He smiled good naturedly at Eddi, "A pleasure to meet you at long last my dear- I've heard so much about you. Forgive me if I seem a little too happy, our Luc's never brought a girlfriend to meet us before, especially not one that's about to make me a Great-Uncle!"

"I must really like you or something." Luc smiled, pulling her closer to him.

"Or something" Eddi smiled back, "Great to finally meet you too Robert."

"How is she today?" Luc asked, his tone getting more serious.

"She's doing ok. She was quite upset this morning because she didn't know where you were. I had to tell her I'd driven you to a friend's house in order to stop her from panicking. So she's been in a right mood with me today for 'not telling her' but physically she's fine and dandy." Robert explained.

"Have you told her about the accident? Or should I explain." Luc offered.

"No, no, I've done it." Robert replied. "I gave her the scrapbook and she took it quite well. She knows that you've 'grown up' and that you're bringing your girlfriend to visit, she's pretty excited actually." He beamed at the couple.

"Mother still recognises Uncle Robert," Luc explained to Eddi. "His face hasn't changed much since the accident, she doesn't recognise me because the Luc she remembers is only six and I like to think I've changed a bit since then."

"And your uncle has to explain this to her every day?" Eddi asked, mildly bewildered as Robert lead them into the house.

"Most days, yes" Luc affirmed. "It can be quite traumatic waking up and not being able to recall anything from the last two decades, so she can get quite distressed. It's not pleasant for anyone involved when she's having a really bad day, so sometimes tells her he's sent me to a friend's for the day and humours her a bit. It's not perfect I know, but he copes and so does she. Most of the issues she's found ways around, for example she leaves herself post-it notes for herself so she can find things she might otherwise misplace. We helped her to make a scrapbook with all our family's photo's in, which she adds little diary entries to when important things happen that she wants to remind herself of. It has a photo of me from each year since the accident so she'll have read that this morning and I expect she'll want to add a picture of you to the collection- that's why I brought this" He explained, pulling a photocopy of Eddi's latest scan out of the pocket of his jeans.

Robert led them into a spacious living room and gestured for them both to sit, "I'll go and get her." He smiled happily as he ambled back out into the hallway and up the stairs. More comfortable standing Eddi let her gaze wander around the room, it had a slight seventies feel to it and was littered with post-it notes, written in neat copper-plate hand writing, just as Luc had explained.

"Luc, how does she not forget her way around the house?" She asked before she could stop herself. "Sorry, sorry, I'm asking too many questions." She added ruefully.

"No, it's ok." Luc reassured her. "We're not really sure, but I found that there is medical research to suggest that anterograde amnesiacs like her can subconsciously learn things that they do habitually. For example if I asked mum for the directions to the kitchen, she wouldn't be able to tell me, but if I were to ask her to go and make a cup of tea in the kitchen, she'd go and do it, no problem."

"That's remarkable." Eddi exclaimed.

"She's a remarkable lady." Luc replied, pride hinting in his voice and a smile spreading across his face as he heard Robert's voice from the bottom of the stairs. "Now Anna, you remember what I told you about Luc earlier?"

"Is he here? How is he?" came the softly-spoken and slightly nervous sounding reply.

"Yes he is, a handsome young man if I ever saw one and he's brought his girlfriend Eddi with him. They're in the living room, are you coming down?" Robert called.

"Yes, yes, I'm coming." Anna replied, "Goodness, my Luc? Grown up and with a girlfriend! It all seems so ridiculous. Has he ever brought a girls back before? Is it serious between him and this girl?" She asked unaware that she could be heard by her son.

"Why don't you come and ask him?" her brother suggested.

The door opened to the living room slid open to reveal an apprehensive, tawny haired woman who looked as though she was in her early sixties. She was much smaller and slighter than her well-built son, but they both shared the same soulful, haunting eyes. Anna lingered in the door way a while her eyes fixed on Luc, drinking him in, Luc however was clearly used to this as he remained totally unfazed by this and waited patiently for her to speak or approach him.

"So this is you Luc." She said in wonder, "Oh look at you, you wonderful boy, I wish I could have remembered you looking like this." She sighed sorrowfully.

Luc shrugged gently, standing up to allow his mother to embrace him. "It doesn't matter. Hello mum it's good to see you." He declared.

"Hello darling." Anna beamed back before turning to Eddi. "I'm so sorry, have we met before?" Eddi smiled politely and shook her head.

"Mum this is Eddi, my girlfriend." He explained putting his arm around her.

"Hi" Eddi greeted her somewhat shyly, "And um no, we haven't met before. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Same to you," Anna replied happily "I guess Luc has probably told me lots about you, I'm just sorry I can't recall it. If I don't write it I don't remember."

"That's ok. It's probably for the best actually." Eddi joked with a small chuckle.

"Um forgive me for asking, but it looks like you two have something to-" Anna began, but Eddi noticed her eyes wandering towards her stomach. "Yes I think we do, I think it's quite obvious but Luc do you want to do the honours?" she offered.

"You'd better write this down in your book mother." Luc chimed in. "You're going to be a grandma."

The squeal of joy that proceeded to erupt from Anna made Eddi want to cry with happiness, as Luc's mother launched herself forwards to embrace her son and then Eddi alternately. Not quite sure what to do next Anna looked over at Robert who was beaming with pride, "Why don't you take some photos of Luc and Eddi Anna?" He suggested as he handed her a battered old Polaroid camera.

"Yes! Good idea." Anna replied, taking the camera and gesturing for Eddi and Luc to stand together. "I can add it to the book."

A few minutes later Eddi, Robert, Anna and Luc were sat around the kitchen table surrounded by numerous developing photographs and Anna was scribbling away furiously as she asked Eddi and Luc various questions. Before long there was an entire page dedicated to Eddi. Alongside where she was writing were two photos, one featuring Luc stood proudly with his arms around both his mother and his girlfriend and another of just Eddi and Luc. It was a photo that Eddi would grow to love over time; she was stood on tiptoe, about to kiss Luc, who was gazing adoringly into back into her eyes they were totally immersed in each other, it was hypnotic even simply to look at.

Eddi spent the remainder of the day quietly observing with fascination at how Luc interacted with his family. Though he wasn't completely closed off, Eddi could tell his guard was raised _'and who could blame him?'_ she thought because though Anna had sought to quickly reunite herself with her son, Eddi could see the pain behind Luc's sad eyes. She realised it would be as close as Luc would ever get to his mother because as soon as this day ended, Anna's memory of him would be wiped and the whole painful cycle would be repeated once more. Suddenly she understood why he's been so insistent about her mother. A few stray tears trickled out of her eyes before she could stop them; she wiped them away quickly, cursing her crazy hormones as she did so.

"You ok Eds?" Luc asked noticing her sniff and pulling her closer.

"I'm fine." Eddi replied. "Bloody hormones,"

Anna nodded sympathetically, "Don't worry, when I was pregnant with him. I was an emotional wreck, Robert here will tell you." She chuckled, gesturing towards her brother and Luc.

"Shush mother." Luc scolded quickly as Robert pretended to be shocked, "Eddi here thinks I'm a robot beamed down from an alien spaceship. Don't tell her I was actually born, it will ruin the effect!"

Luc was even quieter than usual on the way back to Eddi's flat; leaving his mother was never a pleasant experience- knowing she would forget him in a few hours was one of the aspects of her condition that he would never get used to.

"Are you ok?" Eddi asked tentatively.

"I will be." He muttered in a shaky voice, following it with a long suffering sigh. "She stopped recognising me when I hit puberty, so I've had almost two decades of this. It still never gets any easier."

"Luc?" Eddi said after a few moments of silence.

"Yes?"

"Thanks"

Luc frowned slightly, "What for?"

"I don't know. Thank you for letting me in I suppose, your mum is lovely." Eddi shrugged honestly.

"No," Luc interrupted her. "Thank you Eddi. Thank you for giving me another chance, thank you for saving me. I was a mess before you got to me." Luc's words were thick and full of emotion.

Eddi sighed, "You and me both, but really I didn't do anything. It's like that Corey Eagles said 'You change your own life' remember?"

"You read that book?" Luc spluttered in disbelief.

"Well I seriously thought about burning it at first, but yeah I did; cover to cover."

"And did it work" he prompted, mildly impressed.

Eddi's response was simple, "Well you're still here aren't you? The book made me re-evaluate a few things. Like you for example."

"Me? Really?"

"Yes really."

"I love you McKee."

"And I you Hemingway, I you."

**Thanks for reading, stick with me for the next chapter- I promise it's written, just not typed!**

**Kat xx**


	10. Chapter 10

**Family Portrait.**

**Hi Guys, sorry about the wait for this chapter- I'm back at University and this time my marks count towards my degree so I have to knuckle down a bit more. I've almost finished the final two chapters, so hopefully it won't be too long before they appear. **

**Chapter 10: Hormones and Homemaking**

_(The two months)_

The two months following the visit to Luc's family passed in a virtual blur of hormones and homemaking. Most weekends when neither was working were spent buying and assembling various bits of baby paraphernalia. Eddi's tiny flat was now littered with not only Luc's beloved possessions but gifts of baby grows and toys, all given by various kindly friends and colleagues, including a gigantic teddy bear, donated by the king of bear hugs himself.

"God, we're going to need a new place sooner than we thought." Eddi muttered aloud to herself as she stumbled on a pile of Luc's books that had yet to find themselves space on the newly built and already sagging bookshelves. At eight months gone, Eddi was looking forward to commencing her final week of work before her maternity leave started. She had wanted to work till the very last possible moment but now simply being on her feet was exhausting and she needed a break. Frankly at this point, the sooner the baby could make its appearance the better as far as Eddi was concerned.

She and Luc parted ways with a kiss at the hospital entrance as she made her way to AAU and he up to the land of the gods for a "trauma fellow" meeting with Mr Hanssen. Chrissie and Sacha greeted Eddi at the nurse's station with a coffee and a ginger biscuit which she accepted and nibbled on gratefully.

"So what have we got today then?" Eddi quizzed brightly as Chrissie handed her, her share of patient notes and tasks. Over recent months the two nurses had found themselves becoming allies and were in fact almost glad of the friendship. Whilst Sacha, Michael and Luc ran around shouting orders in a haphazard and chaotic manner Eddi and Chrissie now kept the ward running as smoothly as possible with few cross words. Eddi ran a cursory glance over the ward to check everything was in order and settled herself in front of the computer and began assigning jobs and rotas to her junior nurses. She was about to start prepping Mr Spence's next theatre patient when she heard a desperate cry for help echoing from the side bay. Moving at speed was now quite a challenge for Eddi but nevertheless she made her way across the ward as fast as she could.

She opened the door of the side bay and froze at the sight, a tall, scraggy looking; wild-eyed man was bent double over the bed with his hands wrapped tightly around a young female patient's neck.

"Where is my money you stupid slut?!" He growled, his voice was barely a whisper, as the young woman shook her head frantically.

"Don't lie to me you thieving cow!" he snarled.

"Oi!" Eddi roared before she could stop herself, "Get your hands off my patient!"

Noticing her, the attacker loosened his grip. "Or what? This bitch owes me money and I'll have it off her. The stupid woman thought she could escape me."

Eddi said nothing and began to back out of the room to get some help but as she turned the wild-eyed man leapt across the room.

"Where do you think you're going?" He snarled grabbing her by the throat and shoving her backwards so that her head cracked hard against the wall, causing her to cry out in pain and fear.

"HELP!" Luc, Sacha and Michael all heard Eddi's call and sprinted towards the side bay. When he saw the attacker with his hands curled around Eddi's tiny neck, Luc went into overdrive. Without a second thought, his fist connected with the scrawny man's face, knocking him to the floor where Michael quickly restrained him. "Call security" he ordered Sacha. Meanwhile Eddi's legs gave way beneath her as she gasped for breath. Luc dived forwards and caught her as she fell.

"Eddi! Eddi! Stay with me Eds, come on!" he coaxed frantically, noticing the rapid swelling on the back of her head. "Michael, her airway's been compromised and what if she's concussed!" He cried urgently, "Oh Christ, what about the baby? What do I do?"

At that same moment Chrissie appeared carrying an oxygen mask and accompanied by a team of security guards, quickly she was by Eddi's side and fitting the mask over her face.

"Stay with us McKee." Michael urged, as Eddi's eyes rolled as she fought to stay conscious, her head was killing her.

"I'm ok," She insisted, "Check the baby Michael- I'll be ok."

"I will Eddi." Michael promised, "But first let's get you on a bed."

"I'll get an ultrasound," Chrissie volunteered, disappearing from the room. Luc however was unable to do much more than hold Eddi's hand as Michael and the rest of the team shifted her on to a trolley and wheeled her into another side bay. All he could think about was what could have happened had he not been so fast on his feet and more so with his fists. What if something happened to the baby? He didn't know if he could handle it.

Suddenly the air in the room became thick and heavy, Luc fiddled anxiously with his collar, he couldn't breathe, he needed more air. Noticing his anxiety, Eddi swatted away the torch Michael was trying to shine in her eyes, "Can someone open the door and the window please?" She requested simply, catching Luc's eye as she motioned for him to go and stand by the door.

Michael said nothing but raised an eyebrow at how well the couple at how well the couple read each other after such a relatively short period of time.

"Ok McKee, you've got mild concussion, but you're gonna be ok. I'm a little concerned about your blood pressure though, given your condition." Michael explained honestly. "I'm gonna run that ultra-sound for you right now." He reassured the couple as he wheeled in the machine Chrissie had left outside for him. Obediently Eddi hitched up her top and tried not to squirm as Michael squirted the gel over her stomach. "Right," he explained, "The baby's heart rate is a little higher than I'd like but it's not in any danger right now, but we'll keep an eye on you both and keep you in overnight, but there's no need to worry just yet."

Eddi rolled her eyes and winced, regretting it instantly, "That's bloody fantastic," She grumbled, "Michael can you get me something for my head please? It's killing me!"

"Sure." Michael smiled, smoothly exiting the bay.

Almost instantaneously Luc was back at Eddi's side, kissing her passionately. "I thought I was going to lose you both." He cried frantically

"Yeah, well you saved me." Eddi said frankly, "Thank you, I don't know how much longer I would have lasted if you hadn't of hit him. We're not quite out of the woods yet though." She choked, "I mean I'm ok but what about the baby? My airway was compromised, what if the baby's been starved of oxygen? Oh God." She began to panic.

"Ssshh Eddi," Luc soothed, taking her hand and squeezing tightly, "You're in safe hands, try to keep calm- it will help the baby." Realistically he knew there was no cause for him to worry just yet, there was no point but he couldn't help himself. What if something did go wrong? What would happen? He loved her too much to lose her now.

"Did security catch him?" Eddi asked referring to her attacker, trying to distract herself.

"Yeah," Luc nodded clenching his fists. "Shame the came when they did, I would have liked to get a few more punches on him- the bastard." He growled uncharacteristically.

Eddi giggled inappropriately, "Ooh Mr Hemmingway, you are rather attractive when you get all angry and broody. If I- ARGH!" Her attempt at flirting was cut short as she doubled over and hissed with pain.

"Christ! Eddi what's wrong?" Luc yelped, diving for Eddi's discarded oxygen mask and trying to fasten it for her, only for it to be swatted away.

"S'not going to help me now," She croaked when the pain subsided a little. "Oh please God let that be a Braxton Hicks and not an actual contraction."

**Hope this was worth the wait! Please R+R xx**


	11. Chapter 11

**Family Portrait**

**Chapter 11**

**It's late, I know I'm sorry. No excuses it just is. **

**Oh and before I let you get you get on with reading this, at the time of posting this 57 REVIEWS! Thank you sooo much to all of you, I never expected to get this many reviews. Anyway just a chapter or two more to go now. Oh yeah and I'm aware that this story was always slightly AU but after certain recent SJP related atrocities, allow me to welcome you fully into my own Leddi AU… Enjoy!**

Luc's head snapped up, his face white with shock. "Wait, what did you just say?"

"You heard me," Was Eddi's sarcastic response.

"B-but you still have a month to go." He protested uselessly.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. Come on please let that be Braxton Hicks, please?" Eddi prayed as she tried her best to take deep breaths and not panic. "Distract me please Luc," She begged, "Say something, talk to me, I don't want to think about this now."

"Right," Luc spluttered trying to come up with an appropriate response, "Um… how about this? Do you remember the first time you wanted me to distract you?"

Eddi's brow furrowed for a while then she realised. That was the moment they'd kissed for the very first time. "You kissed me." She remembered aloud, it had been one of the best kisses she'd ever had, it had been sweet, intoxicating, mind-blowing even. It had been the first time she'd even had any inkling that he was into her. Desire had hit her like a tidal wave and totally submerged her as each of her nerve endings came alive with pleasure.

"Wow! That good was it?" Luc remarked as he noticed Eddi's eyes had fluttered shut in reverie. Mildly embarrassed, Eddi's eyes snapped open, "I guess so. I um- Oh God!" she yelped as another contraction interrupted her, making her face contort with fear and pain.

"Luc," She gasped when she'd caught her breath.

"Yes?"

"This isn't a Braxton Hicks. My water just broke. Get Michael, get him to page maternity. I'm worried about the baby."

Michael was in the room as quick as Luc had left it and was soon followed by Holby City's head midwife. She was a pleasant but infuriatingly disorganised and assumptive woman who couldn't have organised a drunken piss up in a brewery in Luc's opinion, but having lived with Eddi for so many months he was beginning to learn when to keep his mouth shut. As he watched Eddi try her best to breathe her way through the pain, the same way she'd instructed the few labour patients she'd dealt with before, he sensed that this would be one of those times where his opinion would be better kept to himself. The aforementioned midwife was now fussing around Eddi as she set about performing various checks on both Eddi and the baby,

"So you've had a blow to the head-yes?" She asked Eddi, who nodded in response. "And your airway was compromised for a few minutes?"

Eddi nodded once more. "Bastard," she growled under her breath.

"A fight was it?" The midwife asked disapprovingly. Luc watched as his girlfriend's fists tightened in frustration

"He was assaulting my patient, when I intervened he went for me instead. So I guess you could say I was attacked. Now can you please tell me what's happening to my baby?" She replied forcefully.

"I am sorry." The Midwife blushed and apologised profusely. "Mr Spence informed me that when he checked you that your blood pressure was high and the baby's heart rate was a little concerning. Now, the good news is that your BP has returned to normal, given the circumstances but I'm still worried about the fact that the baby's heart rate is still rather high…"

"What does that mean?" Luc demanded with a look of wild fear in his eyes.

"It means the baby might be in distress. She's only in the early stages of labour right now so he or she may calm down, so right now it's just a case of keeping you both monitored. Worst case scenario would be an emergency C-section." The midwife replied matter- of-factly. "In the mean time I suggest you try and keep your wife as relaxed as possible. I'll be back in about 15 minutes, page me if you need me."

"She's not my-" Luc automatically began to protest, but the she was already hurrying off.

Despite her fear Eddi found herself chuckling a little, "Did she just call me your wife? What century is she from?" she guffawed before her smile fell, "Oh geez Luc- what's happening to our little monster? What if…?" She began to panic.

"Shush…" Luc tried his best to soothe her. "I'm going to look after you whatever happens, I'm not going to let anything happen to either of you if I can help it."

"That better be a bloody promise Hemingway." Eddi panted as the next contraction tore its way through her body, "Luc," She growled clenching his hand in a vice like grip. "PROMISE ME."

Eddi suffered through at least two more contractions in quick succession before the midwife reappeared and began performing more tests and tasks. "Ok Ms McKee, your labour appears to be progressing at quite an accelerated rate. The baby does seem to be getting quite distressed so I'm going to get you in for an emergency caesarean to make sure the baby gets here safely ok?" Eddi stiffened her eyes widened with fear and nodded slowly this was all going wrong. Even though she'd seen women and their babies get through labours much worse than this, she was still utterly terrified.

"Luc," she hissed so that only he could hear her, "I'm scared, stay with me please." She outstretched her hand, which he took firmly in his and kissed.

"I know me too, but I'm not going anywhere Eds. Wherever you go I'll be there. Whatever it takes to get our little monster here safely he promised sincerely. "This is it Eddi; the end of life as we know it."

**Hope this was worth the wait. Please R+R- let's get this up to 60 reviews please! See you for Chapter 12.**

**Kat xx**


	12. Chapter 12

**Family Portrait**

**Chapter 12**

**Here it is the penultimate chapter! Sorry it's taken me so long to finish up. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it. Hopefully I will get the final chapter up soon, thank you so much for being patient with me! **

There was not enough air in this damn maternity theatre. Luc felt so helpless, he was scrubbed up and gowned but there was nothing he could do except hold Eddi's hand while Michael Spence and his colleagues worked to help the baby. This was too much, he wanted to run away, far away and eight months ago he might have done just that but it seemed something had changed, something else inside him desperately wanted to stay put. He looked over at the door and then back to Eddi, she was so beautiful even now, he loved her so much and he would soon have a baby to love too. Deep down he knew this wasn't just where he had to stay; it was where he wanted to be.

Finally the local anaesthetic was taking an effect on Eddi, she watched dozily and noticed Luc subtly slide his feet out of his shoes to reveal his mismatched and holey socks. His face remained calm and set but only Eddi knew that this was a sure sign that he was struggling with his anxiety.

"Hey." She tried not to slur, "We're almost there, Little Monster's almost here. Stop looking so worried."

"I know, I know." Luc tried to smile, "Its bloody terrifying though."

"It's the best thing ever." Eddi smiled back deliriously but winced slightly.

At that very moment Michael beckoned Luc over, "Hey buddy you might want to witness this part, if you can handle it." He grinned gesticulating emphatically with his bloodied gloves. "I know you're not a man to believe in miracles but believe me, this is as close as you're going to get."

Filled with terror and joy all at once, Luc squeezed Eddi's hand and padded around to where Michael and the midwife were working. "You're almost there Eds, you've almost done it." He encouraged in a small voice.

A few seconds later the maternity team swarmed around the bed and a small but piercing cry, echoed through the room, swiftly followed by Eddi's calls of "What is it? What is it?"

"Congratulations! Mr Hemingway and Nurse McKee," Michael beamed as he handed the now swaddled infant in his arms. "Meet your daughter," He announced, carefully placing the child into Luc's outstretched arms.

Luc Hemingway had seen some things he'd never forget in his time, he'd trekked through jungles, he'd witnessed beautiful tribal rites of passage, but never again would he see a sight so beautiful as that first glimpse of his daughters face. Words caught in his throat. He couldn't quite believe what he was holding in his arms. She was beautiful, miraculous and magical; he just couldn't stop looking at her.

"Luc, Luc!" Eddi interrupted his reverie, "Bring her over here, and let me see her." Eddi called craning her neck as much as she could from the bed. Cautiously Luc tiptoed over to Eddi and slotted the infant awkward into her arms.

"Ohh…" Eddi sighed simply, her eyes filling with tears of happiness, a daughter! She and Luc had a daughter; this was the most amazing thing ever. The baby wriggled around in her arms and opened up her eyes for the very first time and gazed up at her mother for the first time. She had inherited her father's soulful brown eyes and her mother's porcelain skin and raven hair, it was remarkable.

"Look at her Luc," she breathed dreamily.

"I've done little else." Luc murmured back, wrapping an arm around Eddi's shoulders and nuzzling her neck.

"Oh I'm glad she's ok," Eddi groaned, exhausted as Luc kissed her forehead.

"Me too," he mumbled into her hair, "So now she's here I suppose we ought to decide what name to burden her with. We could just continue with Little Monster, but I suspect if we were to do that she would grow to hate us forever and I don't want that." He chuckled softly.

"Any new ideas…?" Eddi prompted.

"Well she still looks like an Isla to me."

"Good I think so too. Hello Isla Hemingway." Eddi cooed.

"Isla Hemingway-McKee." Luc corrected and silenced Eddi's protests with a wave of his hand, "She's as much you as she is me and whether we name her it or not she's still half a McKee and besides without your surname, doesn't the whole old English name tradition loose some of its meaning?" He reasoned expertly.

Eddi smiled back resignedly, "Good point well made. Fine then Isla Anna Hemingway-McKee it is." She said looking down at her daughter and then back up at Luc whose brow was now furrowed with emotion.

"Anna, as in my mother?" he managed to splutter.

"Who else?"

Luc contain himself any longer, he gathered Eddi to him and kissed her feverishly, "Thank you Eddi, thank you so much. I love you." He whispered against her lips as he rested his forehead against hers. Suddenly their embrace was broken apart by the small whimpers of Isla who it seemed was already determined not to be forgotten.

"Oh look," Eddi remarked quietly, rocking the baby instinctively. "It's started."

Luc didn't take his eyes of his two girls, "Oh yes, indeed it has."

**Well there you go, I have written an epilogue to this so that will follow shortly but in the mean time I hope you've enjoyed reading this. Please do leave me a review on the way out! Kat x**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Epilogue**

**Well here we are, six months later we're at the end of this fic but Eddi and Luc still live on in our hearts and imaginations. This chapter is dedicated to sdbubbles, a fellow writer and generally lovely person who has fast become a wonderful twitter friend. Enjoy Everybody! **

Luc swung the car into the drive way somewhat faster than he'd intended and slammed on the brakes a little harder than he'd been intending making both the car and all three of its passengers jolt forwards. Upset at being woken from her peaceful sleep, little Isla's eyes snapped open and she began to howl at the interruption. Eddi rolled her eyes and swung her legs out of the car to go and see to her daughter, "Well done genius." She muttered sarcastically.

"Sorry." Luc called ruefully, as he went to retrieve the baby bag and various other bits and bobs from the car.

Meanwhile Eddi scooped Isla out of her seat and began carrying her to the front door where Robert was already waiting waving eagerly waiting to see his great-niece again.

"Did you get Bun-Bun?" Eddi called back over her shoulder, as she headed towards the house, rolling her eyes when she saw Luc stop and race back to the car. Bun-Bun was a pink cloth rabbit given to Isla by her beloved uncle Sacha, as he had become known and Isla would not settle without it.

After cooing over Isla for a few minutes, Robert sprinted upstairs to fetch Anna to meet her grand-daughter for the first time. By the time Luc entered the room, Eddi was holding Isla above her head and was blowing raspberries on her stomach causing peals of baby laughter to echo around the room. She looked up, when Luc appeared through the door and waved Bun-Bun in Eddi's face teasingly.

"Oh good, you can take her for a bit, my arms are getting tired." Eddi declared ignoring the rabbit and holding Isla out towards Luc, "Go to Daddy Isla."

"Hello princess." Luc grinned, taking his daughter, "Look what Daddy's got!" He smiled tickling the baby's nose with the rabbit's ear, making her squeal with delight. "Now you're here to meet a very special lady today, so don't show yourself up; that means no screaming, no pooing, no sicking and no general baby nonsense, ok?" He said in a mock serious tone that made Eddi chuckle. Secretly, she had been more than a bit worried that Luc would be cold or uncomfortable around Isla but she could not have been more wrong. Despite his own initial fears, after swallowing numerous parenting manuals Luc had taken to parenting like a duck to water. Isla was the apple of his eye and an absolute double of him; she had inherited his calm, intelligent temperament and his beautiful kind, wise eyes. However unlike Luc she had inherited her mother's bold but affectionate nature, she would go to any adult without a fuss and Eddi couldn't wait for her to meet her grandmother.

Luc frowned and shifted Isla in his arms, "They're taking a while." He said looking towards the door.

"Well she has just learnt that her son is grown up and has a girlfriend and daughter all of his own." Eddi reasoned "That must be quite a lot to take in. Anterograde amnesia likes to give you all of life's news in one go huh."

"Yeah, I suppose so." Luc nodded thoughtfully.

Suddenly the door burst open and Anna charged in tears streaming down her face, followed by Robert who was also smiling. Anna stopped just short of where Luc was stood with Isla on his hip and paused to take them both in.

"Oh…" she choked, "Look at you two, so beautiful."

Luc couldn't help but grin down at his daughter, "Isla, this is your grandma," He beamed proudly before stooping slightly to kiss his mother's cheek and to hand her grand-daughter to her. "Mum, this is Isla Anna Hemingway-McKee."

His mother suddenly stopped rocking Isla and looked over to Eddi, who smiled back in response "Anna?" she asked, as Eddi and Luc both nodded by way of response. Anna's eyes welled up once more, "Thank you so much. She's so beautiful. I hope you're proud."

The day passed in a blur of dinner, photos and baby stuff. Anna spent most of the day on the floor playing with Isla, giving both Eddi and Luc a well-deserved rest before Luc and Anna went to put her down for a nap upstairs. While Robert and Eddi chatted amicably for a while, until Robert noticed Eddi eying the scrapbook on the coffee table.

"You can have a look you know," He smiled handing it to her, "There are some cracking awkward teen shots of our Luc in there, now between you and me but I think puberty was a bit cruel at first."

Eddi smirked, "It did a good job in the end though."

"Yes," Robert concurred, "I'll leave you with it for a second to go and pop the kettle on, back in a tick Love."

She took the battered leather book in her hands and began to flick through. Sure enough it appeared that much like her, Luc had had his fair share of dodgy haircuts, including curtains at one particularly dark stage of the nineties. She flicked through further, passing one of a very floppy haired Luc receiving his doctorate, after that the photos were few and far between until the photos that had been taken more recently. Eddi blushed and beamed when she saw the photo of herself heavily pregnant and gazing adoringly at Luc and then the ones that had been added today.

There were photos of her, Luc and Isla and even a few of Isla and Uncle Liam as he was now known, he had taken the day off from the youth centre and driven down the day after he'd heard about the birth of his niece. Morag had rung to congratulate the couple but politely declined the invitation to visit for the time being, she was finally sober but could not yet trust herself not to fall off the wagon again and she didn't want to risk this with a baby around. Eddi understood and sent a selection of photos instead, the two now spoke regularly on the phone- things weren't perfect but they were definitely the best they'd been for a while.

Eventually Eddi reached the final page and grinned at the final photo. It was one of the three of them, taken earlier Luc was sprawled out on Anna's sofa watching Isla with Eddi curled up against him, laughing at something he'd said; Isla on the other hand was sat happily on Eddi's lap apparently chewing absently on Bun Bun's ear. None of them were aware that they were being photographed, but they all looked so naturally happy Eddi didn't care. It was the perfect family portrait.

**Oh my, I'm actually quite sad to end this. At the time of writing this fic was at 75 reviews- that is amazing- you have no idea how happy this has made me. THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS!**

**See you around sometime soon for another Leddi fic.**

**Kat xx**


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